Ballet news, history and current views are presented along with information on the projects of Valery Lantratov and the Russian National Ballet Foundation. Maintained by the artist's U.S. manager and the author of A Child's Introduction to Ballet.
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Thursday, June 14, 2007

We Have No Friends!

Now we're a little sad because we have no friends. Won't you be our friend?

Venturing onto Myspace is quite a step for Valery Lantratov who, in fact, doesn't own a computer. I'm leading him kicking and screaming (or is that jeteing and spinning) into the 21st Century.

I did do a little exploring and found one friend out there on Myspace so far. Before I (Laura Lee) started booking ballet classes, I used to book performances by Will Hoppey, a great singer/songwriter based in New York. It's great to hear his music streaming on his Myspace page. His music has wonderful melodies and thought provoking lyrics. So I'm pleased to put my little plug in for him. His music can be purchased on Emusic and at Willhoppey.com and I'm sure many other places.

I've also been enjoying some of the videos I found on Myspace, for example this clip of Gene Kelly dancing with Fred Astaire. I also came across the famous Cheek to Cheek number with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the movie Top Hat. Fred Astaire is an American dancer from outside the field of ballet that Valery and I both admire.

We're still getting to know the lay of the land over at Myspace. Since we started our blog here, and we're the loyal types, we're not going to move it over there or repeat it over there. Who has that kind of time? But what we really like so far at Myspace is the calendar feature. We're updating it with classes and events as they are confirmed. We also want to hear from Valery's students. We're hoping Myspace might help us keep in touch.

Speaking of confirmed classes, I just spoke with Patricia Krus at the Patricia Krus School of Dance in Garrett, Indiana (near Fort Wayne). We're going to be doing a book signing there followed by our class on July 5. Patricia is offering a special combined rate on class and book. The class is open to students from other studios and I believe she may be offering a special class for the littlest students. Click on the link above to visit Patricia's web page and get contact information for the studio if you'd like to be part of it.

Dance Quote of the Day

The Dancer's Quote Book

Full of observation and advice from dancers such as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Martha Graham, Gregory Hines, Anna Pavolva and more The Dancer's Quote Book focuses on everything from practical technique to the emotional highs and lows of a dancer's life. It is available now through Lulu.com.

A Child's Introduction to Ballet

This book by Laura Lee with contributions by Valery Lantratov combines the mesmerizing stories of the world’s great ballets with fun facts, dancing how-tos, history, profiles— all accompanied by charming original watercolors, accompanied by corresponding tracks on an enclosed CD. Order your copy online today directly from the author.

Take the Ballet Knowledge Quiz

Take this ballet quiz and find out if your knowledge qualifies you for the corps de ballet or a principal dancer role.